Interactive media requires one or more authoring tools that allow formulation of interactive content. For example, U.S. patent application publication 2008/0177793 to Epstein et al. titled “System and Method for Using Known Path in Delivering Enhanced Multimedia Content to Mobile Devices”, filed Sep. 20, 2007, describes authoring tools for the creation of mobile media documentaries. However, such an approach is not useful when content providers have no access to such tools or technical ability to utilize complex editing or authoring tools.
Effort has been directed to analyzing interactions as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,953,219 to Freedman et al. titled “Method Apparatus and System for Capturing and Analyzing Interaction Based on Content”, filed Jul. 14, 2004. The Freedman approach seeks to provide an analysis of interactions per se, but does not give rise to interactions in the first place. In a similar vein, U.S. patent application 2006/0059033 to Wagner et al. titled “Interaction Object”, filed Sep. 2, 2004, indicates that an interaction object can represent a customer content session.
U.S. patent application 2004/0205715 to Taylor titled “Method, System, and Program Generating a User Interface”, filed May 9, 2001, describes constructing a user interface based on receiving an interaction object from an application program where the interaction object provides output data to be rendered on an output device. Unfortunately, such an approach is not useful when one desires to interact with media data where the media data lacks a priori defined points for user participation.
Further progress is made by U.S. patent application publication 2010/0177194 to Huang et al. titled “Image Processing System and Method for Object Tracking”, filed Jan. 13, 2010. Huang discusses that objects in a video can be tracked so that a person viewing the video can interact with the moving object via IPTV. Unfortunately, the Huang approach also requires use of an authoring tool. The authoring tool is used to instrument the video with metadata (e.g., MPEG-7) allowing suitably adapted devices capable of understanding the metadata to provide interaction services.
Yet another example includes U.S. patent application publication 2011/0047251 to Seo titled “Method and System for Providing Interaction Content Service of Ubiquitous Environment and Computer-Readable Recording Medium”, filed Apr. 13, 2009. Seo also contemplates providing modified content to a device capable of providing interaction services.
These and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
The above approaches require complex authoring tools that modify content or dedicated devices capable of providing interaction services based on consumption of the modified content. Although useful in some circumstances, the approaches disclosed fail to provide for scenarios where a user's device (e.g., cell phone, tablet, game console, etc.) can naturally interact with displayed media content. For example, the known art fails to allow a content provider to simply construct interactions based on their raw content without modifying the content.
The applicant has appreciated that the difficulties associated with authoring interactive media content demand complex apparatus, systems or methods that can provide for user interactions to be associated with unaltered, raw media content. Additionally, the applicant has appreciated that the great diversity of available user devices and media players requires a strong coupling between interaction devices and media content via a platform that can openly interact across many devices, players, interfaces or media types without requiring changes to existing media content distribution infrastructure.
Thus, there is still a need for a technology that allows one to create interactive media content without requiring modification of the media itself.